While it can be tempting to cake on foundation and concealer if you’re having a bad skin day, a heavy-handed approach often has the undesired effect of highlighting fine lines and wrinkles in addition to looking thick and unnatural. A lighter, sheerer application on the other hand helps to even out your skin tone and refine your complexion, whilst still allowing the skin’s natural luminosity to shine through. Here we reveal five of our favourite barely-there natural make up bases that beautifully demonstrate why less really is more.
Lauren Dunne
MADARA Moonflower Tinting Fluid
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This incredible rose-beige tinted moisturiser is currently my favourite makeup base. This clever cream provides a sheer tint that evens out your skin tone and also illuminates your complexion to give you a beautiful lit-from-within glow. The base is formulated using nourishing flower extracts including rose, sunflower, chamomile and calendula which hydrate and soothe the skin, while natural pigments and light-reflecting particles mask imperfections and smooth fine lines. This particular shade is perfect for those with a fair complexion that has cool or pink undertones. If your complexion is olive, tan or dark, try Madara Sunflower Tinting Fluid instead.
Why we love it:
In addition to being ECOCERT certified, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly, this beautiful natural formula also helps to prevent oiliness and excess t-zone shine throughout the day. Buy it
La Mav Organic BB Crème
This was Australia’s first organic BB cream, and is suitable for all skin tones and types. It’s a true multi-tasker; it moisturises and plumps the skin, provides light to medium coverage, helps to correct imperfections, and evens out your skin tone. It also contains natural sunscreen to help provide protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays, and is formulated with vitamin C and rosehip oil which nourish the skin and help to fight the signs of ageing.
Why we love it:
This bad boy is packed full of hydrating anti-ageing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and co-enzyme Q10, which all help to boost your skin’s ability to repair itself. Buy it
Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation
If you prefer your coverage in powder form, we strongly recommend you try the award-winning Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation. Formulated using four pure hypoallergenic ingredients, it glides on like silk and feels feather-light on your skin. The light to medium level of coverage is more than adequate for evening out your skin tone, and with dozens of shades available, you’re bound to find your perfect match.
Why we love it:
This luxuriously velvety foundation is paraben, talc and nanoparticle-free. In addition, the powder minerals used help form a protective barrier on the surface of the skin and don’t cross the dermal barrier like some liquid formulas can, so you know your body isn’t absorbing anything it shouldn’t. Buy it
Lily Lolo BB Cream
We love this velvety, silicone-free BB cream, and think it’s an absolute steal at just $27. Chock-a-block with with nourishing, anti-ageing ingredients like jojoba oil, organic aloe and sweet almond oil, this gentle formula cares for your skin while also perfecting it. It contains mineral pigments which help to blur imperfections and even out your complexion and delivers just the right amount of coverage for healthy looking, radiant skin.
Why we love it:
This affordable and vegan-friendly makeup base creates a gorgeous, natural-looking glow and also uses natural antioxidants and anti-bacterial agents to help the product last longer without adding any synthetic nasties. Buy it
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Tinted Moisturiser
This clever natural tinted moisturiser uses natural fruit and vegetable pigments to give your skin a fresh, flawless and even-toned appearance. It also nourishes your skin with natural extracts like white tea, açai oil, pomegranate oil and vitamins, and contains SPF 20 derived from rice starch, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to help protect your skin against the sun’s harmful UV rays. In addition, this hard-working formula also contains antioxidants that help protect your skin from environmental hazards like pollution and city smog.
Why we love it:
The creamy formula feels extremely hydrating (that would be the aloe extract) and makes your skin feel velvety soft, plus it’s 100% natural and doesn’t contains any synthetic fragrances, preservatives, or toxins. Buy it
This article first appeared on The Eco Edit and has been republished with the author’s permission
Lauren Dunne is a freelance journalist and has spent years writing for glossy magazines and websites and tried just about every beauty product under the sun before discovering the greener side of beauty land.
After learning about the hidden nasties and potentially toxic ingredients found lurking in the vast majority of mainstream cosmetics, Lauren made the decision to change her lifestyle and her way of thinking.
